Requesting China and the Philippines to assist Vietnamese citizens and boats to take shelter from storm No. 3

On the afternoon of September 5, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, answering reporters' questions about the coordination of work to protect Vietnamese citizens and vessels in the context of storm No. 3 (Yagi) with a strength of level 16 about to make landfall, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said:

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Thu Hang. Photo: VNA

On September 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed an official dispatch directing ministries, branches and localities to focus on urgent response to storm No. 3; to resolutely, promptly and effectively implement storm prevention and response work, with the spirit of proactive prevention and response at the highest level.

Immediately after receiving the information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed Vietnamese representative agencies in China and the Philippines to proactively contact local authorities to create conditions for Vietnamese vessels to take shelter, support rescue and repair vessels if necessary.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy and the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi requesting coordination with their competent authorities to support Vietnamese vessels if necessary and to assign staff to be on duty 24/7 to promptly support and contact domestic and foreign agencies to promptly respond to storm No. 3.

* Also at the press conference, answering reporters' questions about citizen protection (if any) for Vietnamese citizens among the 666 migrants currently stranded at the Brazilian airport for many weeks as well as Vietnam's views on safe international migration and Vietnam's recommendations for citizens to migrate safely, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said:

According to information from the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil, there are a number of Vietnamese citizens among the migrants staying at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (Brazil). Following the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil is closely coordinating with local authorities to closely monitor the situation and deploy measures to protect Vietnamese citizens if necessary.

The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Vietnam's consistent policy is to promote legal and safe migration; prevent and combat illegal migration, human trafficking, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrants. To prevent migration through unofficial and unsafe channels, as well as the exploitation of migration routes, in recent times, competent agencies have stepped up communication about legal and safe migration channels and warned citizens about the risks and dangers of migration through unofficial channels. Citizens also need to carefully study the regulations, policies and laws of the destination and transit countries when migrating and comply with Vietnamese and foreign laws.

"We are also stepping up the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, issued together with Decision No. 402/QD-TTg dated March 20, 2020 of the Prime Minister, and closely cooperating with relevant countries to create and maintain a transparent and safe migration environment for the legitimate rights and interests of migrants," the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

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